Golden Gate Photo - Halo and Hail Gallery
Fine Art Photography of Hailstorms, Haloes, and related Phenomena.


Haloes are rings around the Sun or Moon caused by reflections and refractions of different types of ice crystals high in the atmosphere. The most common type has a radius of 22o around the Sun.

Hailstones are a product of intense thunderstorms or are produced in turbulent cold storms. The common requirements are condensation into raindrops and strong updrafts that carry the raindrops up to freezing altitudes. The drops freeze and are tossed around by the drafts. Each time they fall below the freezing altitude, condense water on the outer layer, and get carried back above the freezing altitude, the hailstone grows larger. This is repeated, layer-by-layer, until they get heavy enough to resist the updraft and fall to the ground. The layers in larger hailstones record the number of trips across the freezing altitude. Most common are bead or pea in size. The largest hailstones exceed the size of softballs and can cause considerable damage and injury.

Forest Corona

Forest Corona

This cousin to the halo formed as the Sun (hidden behind a redwood tree) shone through a misty ground fog. With the Sun blocked out, the corona can be seen where the sun rays penetrate the canopy. At least two concentric bands of alternating red and blue, and possibly a third, can be seen radiating away from the Sun. Coronas are caused by refractions in tiny water droplets. Here is a close-up of the corona. This image was taken from the Damnation Creek Trail in the Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park.

Print No. A02-13-8

Here are more images from Redwood National and State Parks and the North Coast of California

Oak Crowned by Rare Double Solar Halo

Oak Crowned by Rare Double Solar Halo

Taken from Mount Diablo State Park, California, this view to the west reveals a rare double halo. Haloes are formed by the reflections and refraction of sunlight in ice crystals within cirrus clouds in the stratosphere. The outer halo seen here is a common halo formed around the Sun at a radius of 22o. To the right and left of the Sun (blocked out behind the oak) you can see arcs of a rare halo at a radius of about 18o. The bright spots in each halo, seen here to the right and left of the Sun (especially the left side of the outer halo), are called sun dogs, mock suns, or in technical lingo, parhelia.

Print No. A99-19-8

Brocken Specter Plane

Brocken Specter Plane

A Brocken specter (also known as specter, or spectre, of the Brocken) is a well-defined shadow cast by the Sun into the clouds. It is sometimes seen by mountain climbers, on peaks above the clouds, as their own shadow opposite to the Sun's position. This phenomenon is often accompanied by colorful circular bands, which center on the point opposite to the Sun from the observer (anti-solar point). These rainbow-like rings are called a glory and are reflections off of water droplets, much like a rainbow. In this photo, taken from a 737 jet as it was descending into Boise, Idaho, the shadow of the jet is clearly seen and the glory shows that I was sitting near the front of the plane. This image was awarded Honorable Mention in the Weatherwise Magazine 2001 Weather Photo Contest.

Print No. C00-2-6


Spasm Geyser, Clepsydra Geyser, and Brocken Specter

Spasm Geyser, Clepsydra Geyser, and Brocken Specter

The steam produced in the Lower Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, reflects the early morning Sun, resulting in another Brocken specter, this time centered around the shadow of the camera (positioned in front of my head).

Print No. A01NW-37-1

More images of Yellowstone Geysers.

Early Winters Spires

Early Winters Spires

The Early Winters Spires are jagged peaks of granite in the North Cascades National Park of Washington. Above these peaks is the lower arc of a 22o halo around the Sun.

Print No. A01NW-19-8

More images from North Cascades National Park

Mount Diablo Hailstorm

Mount Diablo Hailstorm

Taken from Acalanes Ridge to the west, this springtime storm dumped hail over the western slopes of the mountain. With the thunderhead looming over the peak, the sheets of hail, the bright vertical shafts at the base of the clouds, are visible in this view.

Print No. A98-21-1

More images of Mount Diablo State Park, California

Forest Hailstorm and Ground Fog

Forest Hailstorm and Ground Fog

The high plateau of the Dixie National Forest is prone to frequent summer thunderstorms. Combined with the high elevation, hailstorms are common. In this case, up to 6 inches (15 cm) of marble-size hail covered portions of the forest. This photo was taken between Cedar Breaks and Navajo Lake at least 2 hours after the storm. As the sun broke through the clouds, the slushy ground developed an eerie ground fog.

Print No. A97SW-39-3

More images from the Dixie National Forest, Utah

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